In various sports and recreational activities, as well as in industry, there are numerous occasions when, as a result of a fall or other event, the thumb is momentarily bent away from the other fingers of the hand. This bending results in a stretching of the ulnar collateral ligament which is connected around the thumb's lower joint, the metacarpal phalageal joint. If this stretching is severe enough, the ligament will rupture, and as it will frequently not heal by itself, surgery is often required to repair the tear. Even if the ligament is not torn, such a stretching, particularly if repeated, will loosen the ligament giving rise to a chronic wobbling of the joint, which could cause arthritis.
Most prior art gloves and handwear are, at best, only designed to protect the hand from cold or from abrasions and do not prevent such ligament damage at all. Furthermore, the common way to protect the thumb area after surgery is by using a cumbersome cast, which cannot, as a practical matter, be kept on the hand for longer than six to eight weeks, a time period far short of that actually required for the ligament to mature. Accordingly, there is a need for more adequate protection for the thumb ligaments, and in particular, a need for a protective means which can be used with existing gloves.